SOLOMONS, Md. — The Calvert Marine Museum will host the 19th annual Solomons Maritime Festival on May 3, 2025, celebrating Southern Maryland’s cultural heritage with free admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event features antique boats, traditional crafts, cooking demonstrations, live music, and family-friendly activities, drawing visitors to the museum’s waterfront for a day of education and entertainment.
The festival showcases Southern Maryland’s maritime and culinary traditions. Demonstrations will teach attendees how to prepare crab cakes, fry softshell crabs, shuck oysters, and stuff a ham. Chesapeake Bay retrievers will perform, model boats will race in the boat basin, and waterfowl calling will echo along the shore. The Patuxent Small Craft Guild will offer free 30-minute cruises on the Wm. B. Tennison, as well as rides on sailboats, power boats, rowboats, and pedal boats. The museum’s skipjack, Dee of St. Mary’s, will be open for dockside tours. For children, activities include toy boat building and a kid-friendly obstacle course.
The 24th annual Antique Boat and Marine Engine Show will display vintage vessels and engines, with enthusiasts from across the country participating. An engine swap and the Patuxent Small Craft Guild’s Nautical Flea Market, supporting the Guild’s programs, will attract collectors. Traditional crafts, including crab and eel pot construction, quilting, and textile demonstrations, will be featured inside the museum and on the grounds.
Live music will fill the Motto Mortgage Preferred and Re/Max One Waterside Pavilion. The schedule includes The Bushmill Band from 10 to 11 a.m., Jane Meneely from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 2 p.m., and Neverland Band from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Local food vendors will offer regional dishes throughout the day.
The festival is sponsored by the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners, Calvert County Watermen’s Association, Calvert Marina, LLC, and the Patuxent Small Craft Guild. Sherry Reid, Volunteer & Events Coordinator, invites inquiries at 410-326-2042 ext. 8085 or via the museum’s website. Event details are also available on the Calvert Marine Museum’s Facebook page.
The Calvert Marine Museum, located in Solomons, preserves Southern Maryland’s maritime history through exhibits, boat collections, and educational programs. The festival, a tradition since 2006, highlights the region’s watermen, craftspeople, and cultural heritage, attracting thousands annually. Solomons, a historic fishing village, provides an ideal backdrop for the event, with its scenic waterfront and deep ties to the Chesapeake Bay. The festival’s free admission ensures accessibility, while activities like boat rides and craft demonstrations engage visitors of all ages.
